Dynasty Warriors 6

I had more fun with "Dynasty Warriors: Gundam," which I would recommend to those new to the franchise but looking for a "better" button-mashing experience.

As I played through Dynasty Warriors 6, the series' first entry for this console generation, one thought kept permeating my head: "This is exactly the same game I played in college."

This is a small step forward, but for a series that hasn’t moved an inch over five installments, it’s a mind-boggling breakthrough.

Even with the enhancements and tweaks, Dynasty Warriors 6 is still the same old fried rice - re-heated, re-seasoned, and re-served once more.

But DW6 does feel sort of lightweight, especially at a $60 price tag. [Mar 2008, p.59]

The best thing to say about Dynasty Warriors 6 is that it's an easy way to kill quite a few hours, but that doesn't make it particularly good.

Despite the additions of a couple of new moves and a shiny new coat of paint, if you’ve ever played a Dynasty Warriors game before, you’re going to feel like you’ve already played this one as well.

What was once regarded as a fun-but-shallow game series has transformed into a shallow-and-pointless one. Dynasty Warriors 6 does not totally fail as a game, but it has begun my own personal disenchantment with the series.

Action-combat fans would do better to hold off for the upcoming "Ninja Gaiden 2," or spend 10 bucks on an older DW title.

If you're a fan of hack n' slash, I recommend you go get this flawed but immensely satisfying title.

The best non-Gundam DW game yet. That being said, it's still not a large enough improvement to justify purchase over the much cheaper last-gen models you can probably get for less than $10 at this point.

Hideous dialogue, repetitive gameplay.

Hardcore fans will probably enjoy it. Everyone else? Hold off a while, this game should be in the bargain bin very soon.

Too bad it handles like a remote-control car, bolting from a stand-still to top speed in an instant. I'll pass. [Apr 2008, p.73]

The game isn’t terrible, but it isn’t any more engaging or less repetitive than it’s been for the past five versions.

It seems that Omega Force either can't be bothered to breathe fresh air into the franchise, or it feels it doesn't need to because anything in a game box with Dynasty Warriors on the front is guaranteed to make money.

Dynasty Warriors 6 is a hard game to recommend to anybody that hasn’t enjoyed the series before or expects a bit more depth from their gaming, while at the same time unlikely to disappoint those wanting more of the same.

Visually, it's very similar to Warriors Orochi on Xbox 360, while the gameplay and appeal are as stagnant and underwhelming as they've ever been.

While not every change has been positive, the series was in desperate need of a fresh start, and now, in its sixth major iteration, it has one.

If you don't know a Liu Bei from a Lu Bu, you're not going to be interested, but those who understand the thrill of taking down the thousandth enemy in a single battle will enjoy it. Just be sure to give the new Renbu system a chance.

Dynasty Warriors has a rabid fan base, and so it stands to reason that Koei doesn’t want to mess with the formula too much. It’s disappointing that seven years and endless games later, this latest iteration feels like such a miniscule step forward in the series.

Newcomers who simply want to wade into a war by wildly swinging their swords may find what they are looking for here, while series veterans will find themselves back in familiar territory as they battle through the threads of China's tumultuous past.

It’s good, harmless fun and the strategy side of things is still pretty tight, albeit without the wonderful management of the Empires games.

If you are new to the series then I would say that this is the title you should test to see if you are a lover or hater… but if you have been here before and left last time with disappointment, then nothing much has changed.

Offering little in the way of innovation, it will keep fans of the series very happy and is definitely an essential purchase if you have ever enjoyed a DW game in the past.

Dynasty Warriors 6 is a years-old game masquerading as a new one. Old gameplay and old visuals mean that if we want some crowd-mashing fun, we'll be digging out a previous iteration before this one.

It's the most accessible entry to date, but not the most compelling. [Apr 2008, p.80]

The main problem is that Dynasty Warriors 6 is stuck in the past. It goes far beyond such archaic features as a save system that limits the number of times you can save: Dynasty Warriors 6 is offering what was essentially a PlayStation 2 launch title with very few of the things gamers now demand from this generation of video games.

Overall, while KOEI have brought some new features to the game and have upgraded the graphics, Dynasty Warriors 6 still feels as old and repetitive as the previous five reincarnations.

It's obvious that Dynasty Warriors 6 is a game made for its long-term fans, and there is little doubt that they will lap it up even while they complain about it being simplified. For everyone else, there probably hasn't been a better time to try out the series, but if you've played in the past and it wasn't to your liking, version #6 won't change your mind.

DMC4 kicks DW's face off all night long. But, for strategy fans, this could be worth a night's rental.

Gone are the days when it was acceptable to include hour-long levels and no checkpoints. [Issue#31, p.92]

"DMC4" kicks DW's face off all night long. [May 2008, p.88]

Fans of the series will be happy to know that there is a serious amount of content to be found in DW 6. Outside of the lengthy single-player modes players can also return to previous levels with different scenarios in the challenge mode.

Dynasty Warriors 6 is best summed up as a mild distraction.

Crucially, if you stand back and think of what the series could be evolving into with current hardware then you can’t help but look at DW6 as a disappointment.

The lack of any online multiplayer (again!), the fact this is still basically the same game and the removal of the tactics side means this game is quite simply not worth buying.

Dynasty Warriors 6 isn't properly bad, it doesn't contain anything appalling. However, average is the suitable word here.

This is the first time I've played a Dynasty Warriors game and it felt fresh in a long, long time.

Fans of Dynasty Warriors 6 will know exactly why they like this game and no further understanding is needed.